Summary:

The inspection of rebar installations and other embedded components in bridge deck construction is a tedious task for field inspectors, requiring considerable field time for measurement and verification against approved working drawings. The verification of rebar and dowel locations after concrete placement is another difficult but important task. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is often used to verify the locations of dowels and rebar after the construction of bridge deck is completed. Although GPR is an effective method for this purpose, the discovery of quality problems, if there is any, associated with rebar installations is often too late to secure timely and cost efficient repair. Delay in opening the bridge to public traffic is a common sequence with this sort of quality problem. Repairing a just constructed bridge deck can also raise public dissatisfaction. There is a need for proactive quality control and assurance methods that can assist field inspectors to quickly inspect and monitor code compliance of installations of rebar and other embedded components before and during the placement of concrete.